Cardboard Boat Regatta Will Highlight Annual Waterfront Festival During Fall Family Weekend

Teams compete in the 2011 Regatta on the Chester River.

CHESTERTOWN, MD – The annual Waterfront Festival & Cardboard Boat Regatta returns to Chestertown’s Wilmer Park Saturday, September 22 for a fun-filled afternoon of boat rides, live music, hands-on educational displays and hearty local food. The free event, organized by the Center for Environment & Society at Washington College, will take place from noon to 5 p.m. It promises everything from river cruises aboard the College’s 46-foot research vessel Callinectes, to pony rides, with bluegrass tunes by the Michael Butler Band. Food will include a fish fry, pit beef and funnel cakes.

            The highlight of the festivities, however, will be the Cardboard Boat Regatta, in which teams paddle their homemade vessels—crafted from corrugated cardboard, duct tape and glue, with a few coats of latex paint for waterproofing—around a 300-meter course vying for prizes and titles. The regatta is open to individuals, businesses, schools, civic groups and non-profit entities in Kent or Queen Anne’s County Maryland. Each boat must have at least two and no more than six team members, and participants must be at least 12 years of age. 

            Teams must register for the race by September 19 by emailing or calling event coordinator Rachel Field (rfield2@washcoll.edu; 410-810-7162) or by registering online at www.ces.washcoll.edu. The CES staff has posted boat-building advice on the Web site, as well.

            All the cardboard-boat entries go on display at noon on race day.  The popular boat parade begins at 2:45 p.m., and the race starts at 3 p.m. in front of the Leila Hynson Pavilion in Wilmer Park. 

            In case of foul weather, activities may be cancelled. Please check the Center Web site or call  410-810-7162 for cancellation notice.      

Not every boat stays afloat, as this scene from 2011 illustrates. 

Sorority Honors Former Sister with “Queen of the Roses” 5K Walk/Run for Scholarship Oct. 23

CHESTERTOWN, MD—On Sunday, October 23, the sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi invite the Washington College and Chestertown communities to join the 4th Annual Queen of the Roses 5K Walk/Run, beginning at 9 a.m. in Wilmer Park. The race was created in 2008 to raise money for a scholarship founded in memory of Jasmine Dora Queen, a member of the Washington College Class of 2010 who died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism the summer before her junior year. This scholarship is awarded yearly to a Washington College student in the field of business management. Following the 2nd Queen of the Roses race, the sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi were able to fully endow the scholarship by raising a remarkable $20,000. Jessica Hohne, a sister of the sorority, became the first recipient in fall 2011.

Jasmine Dora was a beloved member of Alpha Omicron Pi and a prominent student in the Washington College community. During her time at WAC, Jasmine was also a member of the varsity softball team, the Black Student Union, and Cleopatra’s Sisters. She was a lively young woman who kept her sisters and friends laughing at all times. “The Queen of the Roses 5k celebrates the life of Jasmine and helps us all to remember that tomorrow is never promised,” says Alex Lating, a senior who serves as the philanthropy chair of Alpha Omicron Pi. “The sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi ask that you join us on this special day to help remember the life of a truly amazing person.”

Students may register in the dining hall beginning the first week of October. Non-students may register online at http://www.trisportsevents.com. Cost to register in advance (by end of day Friday, Oct. 21) is $8 for students and $15 for non-students and includes a 2011 Queen of the Roses T-shirt. The fee to register after the Friday deadline is $20 for both students and non-students. (T-shirt availability for late registrants cannot be guaranteed.) Please contact Laurie McDade (lmcdade2@washcoll.edu) for more information.